Last Wednesday, September 16, was our Activate conference, and we were blown away by the speakers, worship, and connections that were made through this event. Thank you to all who participated, and we hope to see you for Activate 2016 set for September 21, 2016. Be sure to sign up today at www.activateconference.tv to take advantage of our Super Early Bird Special Pricing, starting at just $25 a ticket. Also, be on the lookout for our Activate Roundtables that will be held at Next Level Church once a month, designed specifically for leaders in each area of ministry to connect and learn from one another.

We will be hosting a special episode on the podcast in the next couple months where Pastor Josh will be personally answering a series of questions from our listeners. If you would like to have your question answered by Pastor Josh on the podcast, you can leave a voicemail or send a text message to (646) 801-6033.

Today we will be hearing from Carey Nieuwhof, the lead pastor of Connexus Church in Toronto, Canada. He has written several books, the most recent being Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow, which will be released in October 2015. He has a heart for seeing leaders within the church grow to reach their full potential, as evidenced by his blog and leadership podcast.

Sometimes ignorance works in your favor. Carey talked about how he began his ministry not knowing how to lead a church. However, where he lacked in experience he made up for in ambition and passion, and was able to start his church’s mission and vision from scratch. Rather than coming from a background of knowledge and pompousness, Carey was able to figure out how to lead the church together with his team.

It takes time to build trust in your congregation, so don’t quit early. Although it may be tempting to feel discouraged by the numbers and size of your church, don’t take it as though God is directing you away from your calling. It takes an average of five years for people to trust you, particularly if your church has a short succession of pastors. As long as you are bearing fruit, stay faithful where you are without comparing yourself to everyone else.

The greatest character test is how you handle success when it comes your way. Stay grounded, surround yourself with people who are not impressed with you, and make sure you stay true to what is most important. God is the One who gives success, and He can just as easily take it away, so rather than focus on how well your ministry, blog, or podcast is doing, focus on growing your character.

Quotes From This Episode:

“I think you can have the curse of knowledge.” - Carey Nieuwhof

“I didn’t have enough experience back then to teach me what couldn’t happen.” - Josh Gagnon

“Don’t tell me it’s not possible, because it is.” - Carey Nieuwhof

“Most of the people we admire are people who haven’t switched jobs or callings every 5 years.” - Carey Nieuwhof

“You have to have the messiness of ministry if you’re going to be in ministry.” - Josh Gagnon

“It’s not what you do, it’s who you do it with.” - Carey Nieuwhof

“Accountability is only as trustworthy as the person who’s being held accountable.” - Josh Gagnon

“The darkness loses its grip when you bring it to light.” - Carey Nieuwhof

“It is a bigger character test to handle success than it is failure.” - Carey Nieuwhof

“Your character has to grow faster than your platform.” - Carey Nieuwhof

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